All porn sites across the entire web will have to implement a new AgeID system by April 1st. According to reports, the system will be in effect to the degree that anyone who wants to view porn from the U.K., will either need to use a credit card, a a mobile SMS, a passport, a driver license, or purchase a voucher from a participating retailer. If you don’t use the AgeID system, you will be blocked from accessing the porn site(s).

This might seem like some kind of dystopian joke, but sadly it’s real. The Sun is reporting that as part of the U.K.’s Digital Economy Act of 2017, the long-touted AgeID will come into play this spring. AgeID spokesman, James Clark, told The Sun…

“When a user first visits a site protected by AgeID, a landing page will appear with a prompt for the user to verify their age before they can access the site. Each website will create their own non-pornographic landing page for this purpose.

“It is a one-time verification. Once a user has age verified once, on ANY site protected by AgeID, they will then simply pass-through or login to any other site using AgeID without needing to re-verify.”

Clark also explained that PortesCard vouchers to enable access to porn sites will be available from 29,000 PayPoint outlets.

Certain high street retailers will also carry the cards, too.

The original AgeID implementation was supposed to take place way back in 2018, but they couldn’t quite figure out how to make it work and get it active in time. Some delays took place, which resulted in the AgeID eventually being pushed back to spring of 2018.

Now a bunch of U.K., residents will either need to purchase a VPN to bypass the porn block, or they will have to purchase a voucher, or they will have to use their actual ID to prove that they’re of legal age to access porn.

Now the scary part about it is that even though it’s a one-time access thing, there are some serious security implications that could arise as far as identity theft is concerned, and there’s also the issue of kids using the vouchers (or secondhand, stolen, or scalped vouchers) to still access porn sites in the U.K.

This also raises a question about what happens to video game websites that feature 18+ games, such as Nutaku or Steam? Will vouchers be required for them as well? Seems like things are definitely going to get very interesting moving forward in the U.K.

(Thanks for the news tip Alistair)

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Billy has been rustling Jimmies for years covering video games, technology and digital trends within the electronics entertainment space. The GJP cried and their tears became his milkshake. Need to get in touch? Try the Contact Page.